Alcester council adopts media policy and safety manual for staff

The Alcester City Council approved adding a media policy to the personnel manual and separately approved a new safety manual after staff summarized its table of contents. Staff said the media policy designates a single point of contact for news inquiries and requires annual acknowledgment by employees; council voted to adopt the policy.

On the safety manual, staff reviewed topics including ladder safety, lockout/tagout procedures, emergency action plans, and routine safety inspections. The staff presentation emphasized that the manual is primarily a set of written safety reminders and procedures to be acknowledged by employees yearly. Committee member moved to approve the safety manual; the motion passed by voice vote. Staff said the documents will be emailed to employees and staff will collect signed acknowledgements as part of implementing the changes.

Council discussed timing and the practical implications of safety items such as ladder reminders and the recommended approach to retraining staff when they move into new roles. No roll-call votes were recorded.